Largest Express Entry draw of 2018 issues 3,900 invitations to apply

The Government of Canada held its largest Express Entry draw of 2018 on September 5, issuing 3,900 invitations to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

This is the fourth all-program draw in 2018 with a minimum score of 440, which is the lowest Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score drawn in 2018 to date.

The Express Entry system manages the profiles of candidates in Canada’s three main federal economic immigration categories — the Federal Skilled Worker Class, the Federal Skilled Trades Class and the Canadian Experience Class.

Candidates are ranked according to their CRS score and the highest-ranked candidates are issued an ITA through regular invitation rounds.

Throughout 2018, IRCC has issued a set number of ITAs over a series of draws, and then raised the number of ITAs by increments of 250 or 500. Draw sizes began at 2,750 at the start of 2018 and have increased incrementally to the current size of 3,900 ITAs.

It is not surprising to see the draw size increase, as Canada has higher immigration targets in 2018 than it had in 2017. Its admissions targets for 2019 and 2020 are also set to increase.